'Analysis Paralysis' With Darien Traffic Issue?

DARIEN, IL – A Darien resident who has called for safety improvements at Cass Avenue and South Frontage Road acknowledged a consultant's recent recommendations for roundabouts and a traffic light in that area.

But resident Charles Fischer said DuPage County indicated it lacks the money for such upgrades. So he proposed lower-cost solutions.

"Let’s not sacrifice a good solution for a perfect solution!" he said in an email to Patch. "The time to act is now."

Meanwhile, Lucy Chang Evans, a DuPage County Board member who represents the area in question, said the county-commissioned study would be presented to the Illinois Department of Transportation, with the goal of the state to do a complete redesign of the expressway interchange.

"DuPage County will be pursuing this avenue first," the District 3 member said in an email to Patch. "The other alternatives will be considered if IDOT declines to update the freeway interchange. DuPage County is committed to improving safety and mobility in this area. However, our feasibility alternatives and timeline may not be satisfying to everyone."

Over the last few years, Fischer and others have identified what they consider a traffic problem: Semi-trucks that exit from northbound Interstate 55 onto southbound Cass Avenue must perform three immediate lane changes across Cass to turn left on South Frontage to access the Sterling Bay warehouse.

Two years ago, the DuPage County Board authorized spending up to $241,000 with CDM Smith for the Cass Avenue study. A similar study was done in 2012, recommending a traffic light, Fischer said.

"There are many safety issues within this corridor, and CDM Smith would like to solve them all and suggests even further analysis," Fischer said. "Their recommendations are not viable, feasible, or realistic. This is the epitome of analysis paralysis at the cost of public safety."

Fischer proposed three options that he said are less costly:

• Install some type of barrier between the two southbound lanes of Cass Avenue to prevent drivers exiting from northbound I-55 to do the three-lane maneuver to turn left on South Frontage. The barrier could be similar to the four-foot-high bright orange plastic pipe-like structures on 67th Street between Cass and Clarendon Hills Road.
• Lower the speed limit, which is now 40 mph, on Cass near South Frontage.
• Eliminate left turns on the section of Cass near South Frontage.

Increasing the need for improvements on Cass, Fischer said, are a planned sports complex and the rising popularity of the nearby Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve.

"Find an engineer who says this 3-lane weave maneuver is safe," he said.

In her email, Chang Evans said she did not know whether Fischer's low-cost proposals comply with federal, state and local traffic regulations, "but they could negatively impact the functionality of the roadway system."

She said the study was performed by a "very reputable" consulting firm.

Patch wrote a story about the CDM study last month.